Lorenzana thanks Australia for V. Luna aid, China for medical supplies

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana held phone call meetings with his counterparts from Australia, China, and Japan to discuss various concerns affecting their respective countries especially during the COVID-19  health crisis.

During the calls, Lorenzana thanked Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds for the Australian government's intent to support the procurement of hospital equipment amounting to AUS $1 million for the 30-bed expansion of the Victoriano Luna Medical Center (VLMC) Infectious Disease Ward through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Program (E-DCP).

"We are very thankful for this assistance to the V. Luna Medical Center, Madame Minister, and we hope to see its completion in the near future so that we can use it for the purpose it was being built,” Lorenzana said in a press release on Monday.

Reynolds, in turn, thanked the Philippine government for assisting in the evacuation of Australians amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Lorenzana also thanked General Wei Fenghe, State Councilor and Defense Minister of the People’s Republic of China, for the donation of medical supplies and equipment last May 12.

The two parties also committed to sustaining dialogues amid the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lorenzana also talked to Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono on May 12 to discuss practices in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the current security situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

They also discussed how to enhance bilateral defense cooperation based on common goals of peace, security, and growth in the region. — DVM, GMA News